The 42nd rendition of the Battle of Chester takes place this Friday at Ed Karpus Field on the campus of Thomas Dale as the Knights take on the L.C. Bird Skyhawks. Despite the Skyhawks’ recent dominance over the Knights’ (and everyone else) last year’s game was a close call for L.C. Bird as quarterback Jalen Elliott hurled a hail mary to the end zone to Daijaune Dorsey to give the Skyhawks a 20-15 victory in the most dramatic of ways. The rivalry has been restored. Pre-sale tickets are available between 2 to 3 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday at the…
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TRAQUAN BOOKER SACKS COSBY'S RILEY DOYLE
L.C. Bird 31, Meadowbrook 0 The three-time defending state champions dominated the Monarchs from the start in what was a rocky debut for first year head coach Adam Tiller. L.C. Bird built a 25-0 lead by halftime, converting four Meadowbrook turnovers into four touchdowns, all scored by senior running back J.B. Wright. Wright, a 5–6 spark plug gained 189 yards on the ground while Matoaca transfer Shedrick McCall added 120 yards and a score in the second half. The Skyhawks’ defense was crushing – forcing five overall turnovers highlighted by an interception by Johquin “Pinky” Wiley and two fumble recoveries…
MATOACA FIELD HOCKEY Under a new head coach in Christina Setters, the Matoaca Warriors will look to continue a run of great play and postseason appearances. The 2014 season culminated in a Conference 12 Championship and a first round upset of Prince George, who was 14-1 coming into the contest. Despite falling to Atlee 4-1 in the second round of the 5A South Region Tournament, the Warriors had quite a season. Graduating a host of seniors, including 5A Second Team All-State forward Jackie Cheely (Virginia Wesleyan), standout goalie Miranda Childers (Queens University-Charlotte), and midfielder/defenders Megan and Danielle Radigan, the Warriors…
MATOACA GOLF Two seasons removed from a 5A State Championship, Matoaca golf is set to be a contender again this year, posting an 11-2 record with their losses coming at the hands of top competition in Deep Run and Mills Godwin. “We are not as deep as last year,” said coach John Hall. “But we have a great confidence in our top four.” Hall has a strong top three, and three more that round out a formidable line-up. Leading the way is a pair of upperclassmen in Paul Harris (senior) and Will Creekmore (junior). Both have medaled this year, most…
Another year, another state championship for L.C. Bird. The Skyhawks are loaded again and will look to be the first team since Phoebus to win four straight state titles. Coach David Bedwell won’t let anyone get ahead of themselves yet, and sees a new set of challenges ahead. “We haven’t proven anything yet – 2015 is yet to be determined,” Bedwell said. “We haven’t played a game, we could go 0-10, that’s how we approach it.” Bedwell called out that every team is different, and sometimes you’re not as good or as bad as you think you might be. The…
Using a tough as nails defense and working through inconsistency on offense, the Cosby Titans qualified for the 6A South playoffs, defeating Forest Park in an overtime thriller 20-17 in the first round before falling to rival James River in the second round. Finishing 7-5, the Titans think that with an improved offense, 2015 will be a much improved year. “We’ve really liked what we’ve seen in practice, the hard work,” said Coach Pete Mutascio. “This team really believes that they’ll be playing in Scott Stadium in December.” Cosby lost several key performers on defense, but had depth last year…
Searching for their first winning season since their seven win 2011 campaign, Clover Hill will turn to a transfer quarterback Mikale Washington to lead a young team on the gridiron this fall. The Cavaliers finished 2014 with a mark of 3-7. “We had our share of injuries, and young kids that were forced into varsity situations too early,” said coach Sean O’Hare, in his 15th year at Clover Hill. “They could have used the time to develop on junior varsity.” The result are some players returning who have took their scrape and bumps, understanding what happened last year and looking…
For the first time in years, there was a positive buzz around Colonial Heights football. Sure, it was just two wins to begin the season, but after 27 straight losses, it was a reason to celebrate. Students gained interest, fans came back, and that success was another part of a bigger picture of a “Great Awakening” of sorts for Colonial Heights athletics. “Guys have actually been working out since the first week of December,” said coach Remus James. “I feel like this is the best team we’ve put together, we’ve had good athletes before, but this is a team.” The…
A full season removed from the school’s first state championship in school history, coach Billy Mills guided a very young Generals team to a 9-3 record last year and a playoff victory over I.C. Norcom before falling to eventual champion Lake Taylor in the second round. “Last year we had lots of talent, but no leadership,” Mills said. “I love that group of seniors, but they could have been better leaders and we lacked consistency in the most inopportune times.” Despite the honest assessment of last year’s senior class, Mills says that this year this are notedly different as the…
Thomas Dale, showing improvement in each of the last three seasons, hopes to continue that trend this year. In 2012, the Knights uncharacteristically struggled to a 4-6 record. In 2013, a 6-4 squad made the playoffs. Last season, a talented bunch won nine games, including a first round triple-overtime playoff thriller against Riverbend (Spotsylvania) 45-42. The Knights fell in the second round to Colonial Forge (Stafford) 38-28 after holding a halftime lead. “We made some progress while dealing with a lot of injuries,” said sixth-year coach Kevin Tucker. “We were an unknown entity coming into last season.” Thomas Dale graduated…